Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA ) is an internationally standardised assessment that was jointly developed by participating countries and administered to 15-year-olds in schools. PISA assesses how far students near the end of compulsory education have acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in society. In all cycles, the domains of reading, mathematical and scientific literacy are covered not merely in terms of mastery of the school curriculum, but in terms of important knowledge and skills needed in adult life.

What's new

Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education - A video series profiling policies and practices of education systems that demonstrate high or improving performance in the PISA tests

20-Jan-2012

In today’s global economy, countries need high-quality education systems that will teach their citizens the skills necessary to meet the challenges of tomorrow. This series of videos, produced jointly by the OECD and the Pearson Foundation, highlights initiatives being taken by education authorities around the world to help school students do better.

PISA: Are boys and girls ready for the digital age?

19-Jan-2012

'PISA in Focus N°12' compares the performance of 15-year-old girls and boys in digital reading tests.

PISA 2009 results for 10 additional economies - released by ACER

16-Dec-2011

Ten additional economies participated in the PISA 2009 assessment in 2010. Consult the full report released by ACER here  (13MB)

PISA: Grade repetition - What does it mean for education systems?

09-Jul-2011

'PISA in Focus' 6 examines the impact of grade repetition on education systems throughout the world.

Education: Korea tops new OECD PISA survey of digital literacy

28-Jun-2011

Korea tops a new OECD PISA survey that tests how 15-year olds use computers and the Internet to learn. The next best performers were New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Hong-Kong China and Iceland.

Students On Line - Digital Technologies and Performance (PISA 2009 results - Volume VI)

10-Jun-2011

A digital literacy assessment was taken by 15-year-old students in 16 OECD countries and 3 non-member economies in 2009. This publication presents the first results. See also sample test questions (user name: public, password: access) and the background questionnaire filled in by students about their use of computers.

High-performing students from disadvantaged backgrounds (PISA in Focus N°5)

14-Jun-2011

Some students from disadvantaged backgrounds are high performers in PISA despite the odds being stacked against them. This 5th edition of PISA in Focus examines these students' profiles and explains possible reasons why these students do well.

PISA: Has discipline in school deteriorated?

20-May-2011

'PISA in Focus' N°4 examines the relationship between performance of 15-year-olds in PISA and the disciplinary climate in class.

PISA 2009 at a Glance

08-Apr-2011

 PISA 2009 at a Glance is a companion publication to PISA 2009 Results, the six-volume report on the 2009 survey conducted by the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Presentations on "Strong Performers, Successful Reformers in Education", at the 14th OECD-Japan seminar 28-29 June, Tokyo, Japan

08-Jul-2011

Presentations are now available on line from this seminar which brought together high-level policymakers, administrators, researchers and educators to examine the design and implementation of educational reform in countries with consistently strong student learning performance or rapid improvement in PISA.

Improving Education in Mexico - video series

19-May-2011

Mexico has participated in every cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) since 2000. Inspired by PISA 2009 results and in the context of the cooperation agreement with Mexico, a video series entitled "Improving Education in Mexico" has been developed. The series consists of five short video segments (5 to 6 minutes), available in English and Spanish.

International Summit on the Teaching Profession (New York City - March 16-17, 2011)

04-Apr-2011

Download the presentation  "Building a High-Quality Teaching Profession - Lessons from around the world"  

Watch a replay of the webcast of the closing session of the International Summit on the Teaching Profession.

Download  the background report - Building a High-Quality Teaching Profession: Lessons from around the world
 

Consumer protection: OECD PISA Financial Literacy Study

24-Mar-2011

22/02/2011 - The OECD is testing 15 year-olds on their knowledge of personal finances and ability to apply it to their financial problems. This is the first large-scale international study to assess the financial literacy of young people. The results will be available in the next PISA study, to be released in 2013.

Building a High-Quality Teaching profession

19-Mar-2011

17-Mar-2011

Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary-General

As fundamental technological and demographic challenges re-shape our economies, the quality of teaching, which is the biggest in-school influence on student learning, is the yardstick for long-term growth, said OECD Secretary-General.

The High Cost of Low Educational Performance

25-Jan-2010

This report uses recent economic modelling to relate cognitive skills – as measured by PISA and other international instruments – to economic growth, demonstrating that relatively small improvements to labour force skills can largely impact the future well-being of a nation.

Learning Mathematics for Life: A Perspective from PISA

04-Dec-2009

This report provides and in-depth examination of 15-year old students’ mathematical literacy using the results of the second survey of the OECD’s  Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA 2003.

Equally prepared for life? How 15-year-old boys and girls perform in school

26-May-2009

School students are still being held back by gender perceptions. In most countries, girls and boys now show similar results in PISA, but systematic assessment of gender differences shows that students are still being held back by their own gender-related perceptions.

Top of the Class - High Performers in Science in PISA 2006

28-Apr-2009

Which factors contribute to the successful performance of students in science?  "Top of the Class" provides some answers by exploring how the academic achievement of students relates to the characteristics of individual students, schools and education systems.

Many teenagers in OECD countries lack environmental science grounding, study shows

31-Mar-2009

Teenagers in OECD countries are mostly well aware of environmental issues but often know little about their causes, raising questions about how well societies will be equipped to tackle such challenges in the future, according to a new OECD publication.

PISA Take the Test: Sample Questions from the OECD's PISA Assessments

07-Jan-2009

Try out the tests that the students who participated in PISA have taken. "PISA Take the Test" presents all the publicly available questions from the PISA surveys. Some of these questions were used in the PISA 2000, 2003 and 2006 surveys and others were used in developing and trying out the assessment.

PISA 2006 Technical Report

22-Jan-2009

Learn about the methodology underlying the PISA 2006 survey. The "PISA 2006 Technical report" provides  a level of detail that allows researchers to understand and replicate its analyses.

OECD’s PISA survey shows some countries making significant gains in learning outcomes

04-Dec-2007

OECD’s latest PISA survey of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds shows that some countries have seen significant improvements in student performance since 2000.

PISA 2003 country profiles

21-Dec-2006

The PISA 2003 country profiles tool allows the user to obtain information for a country or set of countries on the performance of 15-year-olds (in mathematics, science, reading and problem solving), their family background and approaches to learning, as well as the way their schools are managed.

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What is PISA? Find out on YouTube

PISA - Measuring student success around the world

Focus

This book looks at the students who excel in PISA surveys despite a disadvantaged background.

Against the Odds: Disadvantaged Students Who Succeed in School

Focus

PISA 2009 Results presents the findings from the most recent PISA survey, which focused on reading and also assessed mathematics and science performance.

PISA 2009 Results

PISA 2009 Framework

Discover the theory behind the development of the tests for PISA 2009

PISA 2009 Assessment Framework - Key Competencies in Reading, Mathematics and Science